Category: On This Day

Historical Events

1522 – Ferdinand Magellan’s Spanish expedition aboard the Vitoria returns to Spain without their captain. First to circumnavigate the earth.
1690 – King Wiliam III escapes back to England
1888 – Charles Turner becomes the first bowler to take 250 wickets in an English season – a feat since accomplished only by Tom Richardson (twice), J.T. Hearne, Wilfred Rhodes (twice) and Tich Freeman (six times).
1939 – 1st German air attack on Great Britain in WW II
1996 – Baltimore Orioles’ Eddie Murray’s 500th career HR
2018 – New York and New Jersey state attorneys launch investigations into sexual abuse by the Catholic clergy, bring to six the number of states investigating

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1797 – Wililam “Extra Billy” Smith, American lawyer and Confederacy (Confederate Army), born in King George County, Virginia (d. 1887)
1932 – Hugh John Vaughan Campbell, 6th Earl Cawdor, British large landowner (d. 1933)
1949 – Jimmy Litherland, English rocker (Mitarbeit), born in Salford, Lancashire, England
1954 – Patrick O’Hearn, American rock bassist (Missing Persons), born in Los Angeles, California
1973 – Greg Rusedski, Canadian-British tennis star (1995 Seoul), born in Montreal, Quebec
1979 – Massimo Maccarone, Italian footballer, born in Galliate, Italy

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1625 – Thomas Dempster, Scottish historian (b. 1579)
1635 – Adrian Metius, Dutch astronomer and fort architect, dies at 63
1811 – Julien-Amable Mathieu, composer, dies at 77
1939 – Arthur Rackham, English book illustrator (Grimm’s Fairy Tales, Rip van Winkle), dies of cancer at 71
1951 – James W. Gerard, American jurist and diplomat, dies at 84
1984 – E J Andre, actor (Eugene Bullock-Dallas), dies at 74

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1519 – Second Battle of Tehuacingo, Mexico: Hernán Cortés vs Tlascala Aztecs
1698 – Russian Tsar Peter the Great imposes a tax on beards
1786 – Montplaisir Ceramic factory opens in Schaarbeek Belgium
1796 – General Salicetti orders equal rights for Jews of Bologna, Italy
1990 – #12 seed Pete Sampras ends #3 Ivan Lendl’s bid for 9th straight US Open final with classic 6-4, 7-6, 3-6, 4-6, 6-2 quarter final win; goes on to win 1st career Grand Slam title
1994 – Kirgizia government resigns

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1735 – Johann Christian Bach (English Bach), German composer, 11th son of Johann Sebastian Bach, born in Leipzig, Germany (d. 1782)
1897 – Luella Gear, American actress (Joe and Mabel), born in NYC, New York (d. 1980)
1933 – Francisco Javier Errázuriz Ossa, Chilean catholic archbishop, born in Santiago, Chile
1945 – Al Stewart, Scottish rocker (Year of the Cat), born in Glasgow, Scotland
1950 – Kathy Cronkite, American actress (Annie-Hizzonner), born in Washington, D. C.
1962 – Peter Wingfield, Welsh rocker and actor (Methos-Highlander), born in Cardiff

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1867 – Santiago Derqui, Argentinian politician (b. 1809)
1994 – Teddy Millington-Drake, English painter, dies at 62
1997 – Georg Solti, conductor, dead, dies at 84
1999 – Albert Oram, Baron Oram, British Labour politician, dies at 86
2002 – John “Jackie” Kelk, American actor and stand-up comedian (The Aldrich Family, The Adventures of Superman), dies of a lung infection at 79
2003 – Gisele MacKenzie [LaFlèche], Canadian singer and actress (Your Hit Parade), dies at 76

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1944 – US National Championship Women’s Tennis, Forest Hills, NY: Pauline Betz Addie wins her third straight US title; beats Margaret Osborne 6-3, 8-6
1948 – Queen Wilhelmina abdicates Dutch throne
1976 – Palestinians hijack KLM DC-9 to Cyprus
1982 – Arson fire engulfs apartment-hotel in LA, 25 die
1990 – 47th Venice Film Festival: “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead” directed by Tom Stoppard wins the Golden Lion
2018 – Italian city Florence bans people eating in the street in its historic center

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1383 – Amadeus VIII, Duke of Savoye and last antipope (Felix V, 1439-48), born in Chambéry, France (d. 1451)
1802 – Marcus Whitman, American physician and missionary (Oregon Trail), born in Federal Hollow, New York (d. 1847)
1846 – Daniel Burnham, American architect and urban designer (built skyscrapers), born in Henderson, New York (d. 1912)
1904 – Julian W. Hill, American research chemist (developed nylon), born in St. Louis, Missouri (d. 1996)
1926 – Robert J. Lagomarsino, American politician (Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California), born in Ventura, California
1932 – Carlos Romero Barceló, Puerto Rican politician (5th Governor of Puerto Rico), born in San Juan, Puerto Rico

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1085 – Irmgarde van Keulen, German countress of Aspel/saint, dies
1767 – Charles Townshend, English politician, 3rd Viscount of Townshend, dies at 42
1980 – Wolfgang Gentner, German nuclear physicist, dies at 74
2006 – Steve Irwin, Australian naturalist and TV personality (The Crocodile Hunter), attacked and killed by a stingray at 44
2009 – Iain Cuthbertson, Scottish actor (Guilty, Scandal, Rep, Danger UXB), dies at 79
2014 – Włodzimierz Kotoński, Polish composer, dies at 89

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1260 – Battle of Ain Djaloet, Palestine defeats Mongols army
1882 – French/Vietnamese/Chinese battle at Hanoi, 100s die
1947 – Philadelphia A’s rookie pitcher Bill McCahan no-hits Washington Senators, 3-0
1965 – Preparing a move to Anaheim, the Los Angeles Angels change their name to the California Angels
1972 – Great Britain’s Mary Peters sets a new world record of 4801 points to win the Munich Olympics pentathlon gold by just 10 points from Heide Rosendahl of West Germany
1997 – A Vietnam Airlines Tupolev TU-134 crashes on approach into Phnom Penh airport, killing 64.

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1693 – Charles Radclyffe, 5th Earl of Derwentwater, British politician, born in Little Parndon, Essex (d. 1746)
1719 – Ferdinand Zellbell the younger, Swedish composer and co-founder of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music, born in Stockholm, Sweden (d. 1780)
1902 – Mantan Moreland, American actor and comedian (Charlie Chan, Spirit of Youth), born in Monroe, Louisiana (d. 1973)
1926 – Bill Flemming, American journalist and sportscaster (ABC’s Wide World of Sports), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2007)
1931 – Albert DeSalvo, American criminal (The Boston Strangler), born in Chelsea, Massachusetts (d. 1973)
1950 – Doug Pinnick, American bassist and singer (King’s X), born in Braidwood, Illinois

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1420 – Robert Stewart, 1st Duke of Albany, regent of Scotland
1811 – Ignaz Franzl, composer, dies at 75
1954 – Eugene Pallette, American actor (The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Mark of Zorro), dies at 65
1963 – Cruys Voorbergh [Ernest Pieter Coningh], Dutch actor and director (De vliegende Hollander , Flying Dutchman), dies from cardiac arrest at 64
1980 – Barbara O’Neil, actress (Tower of London, Stella Dallas)
2008 – Donald Blakeslee, American aviator who led 4th Fighter Group during World War II, dies at 90

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1192 – Sultan Saladin and King Richard the Lionheart of England sign treaty over Jerusalem, at end of the Third Crusade
1870 – Napoleon III surrenders to Prussian armies at the Battle of Sedan
1914 – The US Treasury Department establishes the Bureau of War Risk Insurance to provide up to $5 million worth of insurance for merchant ships and their crews
1951 – Australia, NZ and US sign ANZUS-pact
1957 – 1st edition newspaper the Ware Time (in Suriname), 1,700 die
1990 – Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Dave Stieb throws MLB record 9th no-hitter of the season; beats Cleveland, 3-0

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1850 – Eugene Field, author/journalist (Little Boy Blue)
1854 – Hans Jæger, Norwegian writer and political activist (d. 1910)
1925 – Ronnie Stevens, actor (Rodney-Dick and Duchess), born in London, England
1947 – Richard Coughlan, English drummer and percussionist (Caravan), (d. 2013)
1969 – Russell Freeman, NFL tackle (Oakland Raiders)
1971 – Tommy Maddox, NFL quarterback (NY Giants)

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1896 – Nat Thompson, Australian cricket batsman (2 Tests, 1st batsman dismissed in first Test match 1877), dies at 57
1964 – Glenn Albert Black, American archaeologist, dies at 64
1982 – Tom Baker, American actor, dies of a drug overdose in New York at 42
2001 – Christiaan Barnard, South African cardiac surgeon (perform 1st heart transplant), dies from a severe asthma attack at 78
2006 – Bob Mathias, American decathlete (Olympic gold 1948, 52) and congressman, dies of cancer at 75
2015 – Alan Kurdi, 3 year old Syrian refugee drowns off the coast of Turkey, his death and photograph prompt international reaction

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

462 – Possible start of first Byzantine indiction cycle.
1863 – Rail and ferry connection between San Francisco and Oakland inaugurated
1931 – Future Baseball Hall of Fame 1st baseman Lou Gehrig hits his 3rd grand slam in 4 days and 6th homer in consecutive games in NY Yankees’ 5-1 win v Boston Red Sox
1981 – Mike Brearley’s last day as England cricket captain in 6th Test draw v Australia at The Oval; maintains his unbeaten record at home as England’s 3-1 series win confirmed
1990 – “Heidi Chronicles” closes at Plymouth Theater NYC after 621 performances
1996 – The Carolina Panthers outgun the Atlanta Falcons 29-6 in their first regular season NFL game at Ericsson Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1732 – Thomas Erskine 6th Earl of Kellie, Scottish composer and musician, born in Kellie Castle, Scotland (d. 1781)
1931 – Boxcar Willie [Travis Martin], American soldier (USAF) and singer (King of the Road), born in Ellis County, Texas (d. 1999)
1933 – Conway Twitty, [Harold Jenkins], Miss, country singer (Hello Darlin’)
1951 – David Bairstow, English cricket wicket keeper, broadcaster (4 Tests; father of England Test ‘keeper Jonny), born in Bradford, Yorkshire (d. 1998)
1968 – Mohammed Atta, Egyptian terrorist (d. 2001)
1982 – Ryan Gomes, American basketball player

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1940 – Lillian Wald, American pioneering nurse and social activist who started American community nursing with the Henry Street Settlement in NYC, dies of a cerebral hemorrhage at 73
1982 – Wladislaw Gomulka, Polish partisan/party leader, dies at 76
1992 – Morris Carnovsky, American actor (Dead Reckoning), dies at 94
1995 – Ernest Marke, Sierra Leonean seaman and club owner, dies at 93
2008 – Don LaFontaine, American voice actor (b. 1940)
2012 – Sat Mahajan, Indian politician (Rural Development Minister), dies at 85

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1850 – California pioneers organized at Montgomery and Clay Streets
1907 – Britain, Russia and France form Triple Entente
1928 – Brecht and Weil’s play ” The Threepenny Opera ” premieres
1942 – Battle at Alam Halfa: German and Italians assault
1944 – Allied offensive at “Gothen-linie” Italy
1976 – George Harrison found guilty of plagiarising “My Sweet Lord”

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1869 – Gregor MacGregor, English cricket wicket-keeper (8 Tests 1890-93) and Scottish rugby union player, born in Edinburgh, Scotland (d. 1919)
1874 – Edward Thorndike, American psychologist (father of modern educational psychology), born in Williamsburg, Massachusetts (d. 1949)
1923 – Larry Grayson, British comedian (Generation Game), born in Banbury, Oxfordshire, England (d. 1995)
1934 – Nikos Xanthopoulos, Greek actor
1942 – Carole Wells, actress (Pistols ‘n’ Petticoats), born in Shreveport, Louisiana
1948 – Harald Ertl, Austrian racing driver (d. 1982)

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1762 – Emperor Momozono, 116th Emperor of Japan, dies at 21
1832 – Jean Nicolas Auguste Kreutzer, French violinist and composer, dies at 53
1942 – Von Bismarck, German major general, (Africa Corps), dies in battle
1994 – Artur Balsam, Polish/US pianist, dies at 88
1995 – John Erik Jonsson, American businessman and Mayor of Dallas, dies at 93
2011 – Wade Belak, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1976)

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1481 – 2 Latvian monarchs executed for conspiracy to Polish king Casimir IV
1776 – Continental Army evacuates Long Island and falls back to Manhattan, NYC
1933 – Air France forms from five French airlines
1956 – Lake Pontchartrain Causeway opens.
1995 – Cable News Network joins the internet
2012 – Cholera outbreak kills 229 people in Sierra Leone

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1705 – David Hartley, English philosopher and Founder of the Associationist School of Psychology, born in Halifax, Yorkshire, England (d. 1757)
1944 – Molly Ivins, American political columnist and author, born in Monterey, California (d. 2007)
1945 – Fred Tackett, American songwriter and multi-instrumentalist (Little Feat), born in Little Rock, Arkansas
1949 – Christopher Collins, American actor (True Identity), voice actor (Cobra Commander-G.I. Joe) and comedian, born in Orange, New Jersey (d. 1994)
1956 – Jayne Irving, English TV hostess (Live at 3), born in Sheffield, West Riding of Yorkshire
1964 – Gavin Fisher, British engineer

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1580 – Emanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy/governor of Netherlands, dies
1751 – Christopher Polhem, Swedish scientist and inventor (b. 1661)
1862 – Charles Bernard Desormes, French Physicist and Chemist (carbon monoxide and carbon disulphide compositions), dies at 91
1896 – Alexei Lobanov-Rostovsky, Russian statesman (b. 1824)
1943 – A[braham] Merritt, American sci-fi author (The Moon Pool, Burn Witch Bun ), dies from a heart attack at 58
1994 – Michael Gribble, film animator (Mike and Spike Festival), dies at 42

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1918 – Bapaume taken by Australian Corps and Canadian Corps in the Hundred Days Offensive
1925 – After a night on the town, Babe Ruth shows up late for batting practice Miller Huggins suspends Ruth and slaps a $5,000 fine on him
1932 – United Cigar Stores shuts 800 shops
1945 – British liberate Hong Kong from Japan
1963 – Harmon Killebrew (Twins) HRs off Pete Burnside (Senators) in DH
1991 – JFK Jr wins his 1st battle as an attorney

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1912 – Sohn Kee-chung, Korean athlete and long-distance runner, born in Sinuiju, North Korea (d. 2002)
1945 – Wyomia Tyus, American 100m runner (Olympic gold 1964, 68), born in Griffin, Georgia
1965 – Will Perdue, American NBA center (San Antonio Spurs), born in Melbourne, Florida
1967 – Anton Newcombe, American musician (The Brian Jonestown Massacre), born in Newport Beach, California
1976 – Kasia Kulesza, Canadian synchronized swimmer (Olympic silver 1996), born in Warsaw, Poland
1981 – Geneviève Jeanson, French Canadian cyclist, born in Montreal, Canada

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1910 – Allen Hill, cricket bowler (England, 2 Tests), dies
1910 – John YWJ Eilerts de Cock, sea officer (Suriname), dies at 44
1991 – Dallas Adams, British painter/writer/actor (Terror from Within), dies
1995 – Frank Perry, American film director (Diary of Mad Housewife, David and Lisa), dies at 65
2002 – Alan MacNaughtan, Scottish actor (To Serve Them All My Days), dies at 82
2003 – Ayatollah Sayed Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim, Iraqi political leader (b.1939)

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events

1640 – Second Bishop’s War: King Charles I’s English army loses to a Scottish Covenanter force at the Battle of Newburn
1949 – 38th Davis Cup: USA beats Australia in New York (4-1)
1970 – “I’ll Be There” single by The Jackson 5 is released (Billboard Song of the Year 1970)
1981 – National Centers for Disease Control announces high incidence of Pneumocystis and Kaposi’s sarcoma in gay men
1988 – 40th Emmy Awards: Thirtysomething, The Wonder Years and Richard Kiley win
1994 – 94th US Golf Amateur Championship won by Tiger Woods

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1789 – Stéphanie de Beauharnais, Grand Duchess of Baden, born in Versailles, France (d. 1860)
1840 – Alexander Cameron Sim, Scottish merchant, born in Aberlour, Scotland (d. 1900)
1924 – Margaret O’Rene “Peggy” Ryan, American dancer and actress (Hawaii Five-0), born in Long Beach, California (d. 2004)
1940 – Nik Turner, English musician (Hawkwind), born in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England
1981 – Raphael Matos, Brazilian racing driver
1982 – LeAnn Rimes [Margaret LeAnn Rimes Cibrian], American country singer (Blue), born in Jackson, Mississippi

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1677 – Wallerant Vaillant, French painter and engraver, dies at 54
1793 – Adam-Philippe Custine, French earl/general/parliament member, dies
1990 – Patience Strong [Winifred Emma May], English poet and journalist, dies at 83
1995 – Michael VerMeulen, journalist, dies at 38
2009 – DJ AM [Adam Goldstein], American DJ and musician, dies of a drug overdose at 36
2010 – William P. Foster, notable band director and founder of the Marching 100 of Florida AandM University

More Famous Deaths »